The idea is to post something new every Wednesday on both the Eureka and QKR Blogs which will feature a step-by-step tutorial, or an example of what you can create with a certain product. Readers can come to count on new information every Wednesday which we hope will inspire you to expand your skill base and product knowledge. Is that a big challenge? You bet, and I'm excited about learning new things myself that I can share with fellow lovers of paper arts.

My introductory project is a perfect example. The products the new T&T team is featuring today are Mica Powders. Now, I've tried mica powders before and have not been impressed. I thought they were pretty, but they never stayed where I put them. Little did I realize the beautiful possibilities of mica powders! Thanks to my T&T team, I've learned that there are many techniques using mica powders which give you spectacular results. The above project is a perfect example. I've found that mica powders work really well with a product you likely have in your stash – VersaMark ink.

For this project, I used 1/4 sheet of black Recollections cardstock from Michaels, Eurkea's Partridge in a Pear stamp, and selected a powder from the Iridescent Sparkle collection for this project. Partridge is a big stamp, approximately 4 x 4.75 inches, so it makes a great focal image.

GENTLY brush mica powder over the image with a soft brush, and let stand a bit;

After allowing time for the ink to set, tap off the excess powder and return it to the container;

Dust with a Swiffer dry dusting cloth;

To ensure the powder stays put, spray the image with matte acrylic sealer.

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After brushing on mica powder

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To finish the card, cut a 5 ¼ by 7 ¼ inch card base. I've used DCWV Shimmer cardstock. Trim the image and mount it on a slightly larger piece of the base cardstock, and then mount all again on another piece of the black cardstock before attaching to the card base.

To fill in the space at the top of the card, use a Scor Pal to add some embossed lines. A black bow and some dots of Liquid Pearl are all the embellishment this card needs.

Check back soon for more ideas with mica powder, such as the following...

Smiles4SickKids

About Me

Creativity seems to be something that was handed down to me through my genes. My grandmother was a pastry chef, my aunt is a painter, my father is a woodworker. My mother taught me to knit. When I can share this passion and pass it on to others, I'm at my happiest.

To craft or not to craft - I don't understand the question!

Art is an important part of my life. Quite simply, it makes me feel good and so I devote a lot of time to taking raw materials and turning them into something I think is quite special. Paper art is my current passion, although I enjoy many other crafts such as sewing, knitting, decorative painting and making jewellery.

I've been reading and admiring other artists' blogs for a while now. I learn from other artists, and I hope anyone looking at my work will take away some new ideas, too.

Creating, whatever the medium, is worth the time and effort. If you are just starting to craft, don't be too hard on yourself. Anything worthwhile takes time to achieve. Just make a start, keep an open mind, evolve and, most of all, enjoy the process.